Although there are many free samples around on the internet, there are always also some which you have to pay a small amount for too. The big question with these is always ‘is it worth it?’

The answer to this question of course will vary according to what the item is, and whether it is something you will actually use or not. These offers can be very good ways of finding out if you like a product without having to spend a lot on them, but they can also mean that you spend out a bit of money on something that you then think hmm… nope don’t like that.

Bearing in mind that some people will send for a free sample even if it’s an item that they know they already like, one thing that it’s very much worth checking out, is whether you’re paying over the odds for your sample. For instance, if you’re being offered a 10ml sample of body lotion, and you’ll have to pay £1 postage and packaging for it, but the product normally comes as a 100ml bottle when bought from the shops, and costs you £5, you are in fact paying twice as much for your 10ml as you would if you were buying the whole item.

Some freebies that you have to phone up for are a bit like this too. It’s great to be getting a free magazine, or a nice key ring, but if you’ve had to spend 10 minutes on the phone to a premium number to get it then really it’s not a freebie, in fact, it’s not even a bargain because you’ll be paying for it when the phone bill arrives.

Some key things I try to stick to when I phone for freebies are: Is it a free-phone number? If yes, go for it! If no, check out what you’ll be paying for the call. Do I have to sign up to anything to get it? If no that’s excellent, if yes, stop and think about how easy this will be to cancel if you don’t really want it. For me personally, I have a landline set up where if I’m calling another landline I don’t pay for it, so regular landlines don’t bother me, but I tend to avoid the ones where I am phoning anything that doesn’t begin either 0800 or 01 or 02.

For freebies where I’ve got to pay some postage and packaging costs, I try to stick only to things that I know I really want. I don’t order them just for the sake of it in other words. I also try to make sure that I know the company is sound before I send them any money just like I would if I were making a purchase from on the internet.